Billiard cue and cue tip assembly

ABSTRACT

An improved billiard cue comprising a cue stick having a doweled portion at one end, a ferrule for sleeve-like engagement with the doweled portion and a synthetic elastomer tip of a specific configuration in locking engagement with the tip end of the ferrule and the doweled portion of the cue stick. The tip has three components or parts, a head, neck and base and is formed from a material such as neoprene with the neck extending through a reduced diameter portion at the tip end of the ferrule. The tip base and head components engage and seat against interior and exterior shoulders formed at the tip end of the ferrule. The side of the tip base component opposite the neck component engages and seats against the end of the doweled portion of the cue stick.

United States Patent Lower et al.

[54] BILLIARD CUE AND CUE TIP FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS ASSEMBLY 640,905 4/1928 France ..273/70 Inventors: J Lower, Glendora; et 16,886 1911 Great Britain ..273/70 Lagus, Altadena, both of Calif.

[73] Assignee: Deneb Products Engineering, Glen- 'f f Pinkham dora, C lif Assistant Examiner-Richard J. Apley An -Chri t' ,P k &Hal 22 Filed: Feb. 12, 1970 S at er e [21] Appl. No.: 10,755 [57] ABSTRACT An improved billiard cue comprising a cue stick hav- [52] US. Cl ..273/70, 273/DIG. 10, 273/DlG. l6 ing a doweled portion at one end, a ferrule for sleeve- [5 l] Int. Cl. ..A63d 15/12 like engagement with the doweled portion and a [58] Field of Search....273/68, 70, DIG. 10; 260/923 synthetic elastomer tip of a specific configuration in locking engagement with the tip end of the ferrule and [56] e ere s Ci the doweled portion of the cue stick. The tip has three components or parts, a head, neck and base and is UNITED STATES PATENTS formed from a material such as neoprene with the 515,477 2/1894 Marugg ..273/70 neck extending through a reduced diameter portion at l,Ol4,559 1/1912 Bechtold ..273/7O the tip end of the ferrule. The tip base and head com- 3 4,681 3/1955 Fischer -.273/ 10 ponents engage and seat against interior and exterior 2,924,545 2/1960 G- l0 shoulders formed at the tip end of the ferrule. The

Harms? side of the base component opposite the neck com- 587,195 7/1897 Ghezzi et al. ......273/7O ponem engages and seats against the end of the 3,042,652 7/l962 Pariser ..260/92.3 X doweled portion f the cue Stick 3,271,031 9/1966 Mitchell ..273/DIG. 10 3,381,960 5/1968 Reinhart ..273/70 1 Claim, 9 Drawing Figures v v I &-:: .4'. 0 s s$- *t ;$f QQ Oo v Q I 4 y etfiesfi $vrz-*i%yi .QQQQQQaQoZJ 11/)!!! I 1.1

SELF Tfl PIIVG 77/35/705 61V FE/QBULE DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART The present invention relates to billiard equipment and in particular to a cue stick having a chalkless tip with increased durability and coefficient of friction.

The vase majority of billiard cues in existence today are of the type which utilize a leather tip glued to the tapered end of the cue stick. In some cases, a ferrule of suitable plastic material is provided as a sleeve around a doweledend portion located at the tip end of the cue stick. Such leather tips are molded and cut or stamped from stock material in an appropriate disc shape with one end surface rounded and the opposite surface flat to be seated against and adhesively attached to the tip end of the cue stickIOnce fixed in position, the tip is then sanded or filed such that the outside diameter of the tip conforms to the outside diameter of the cue stick. It has been a problem of long standing that cue billiards of the type described above are frequently rendered inoperative because the cue tip can be knocked off. This is especially true when the user attempts to put english on a billiard ball.

Although never achieving significant commercial distribution, billiard cues have been described which used materials other than leather as the basic material for the cue tip and which have attempted certain modifications of the mechanical design of the structure at the end of the cue stick. Typical of such cues are those described in US. Pat. Nos. 1,525,910; 1,521,797 and 1,538,237. All of the cue stick designs disclosed in the above cited patents are also subject to certain deficiencies.

Referring specifically to the structures as described in each of the above patents, it should be noted that, in prior art U.S. Pat. No. 1,525,910, a space or gap exists between the base of the rubber tip portion and the end of the doweled portion of the cue stick. The effect of this space is to absorb most of the force of the blow when the cuestick is used to strike a cue ball. The result is a flat reaction by the cue ball and an unsatisfactory amount of vibration in the cue stick. In addition, a rubber tip mounted in this manner quickly becomes hard and brittlewith repeated impacts.

With respect to prior art US. Pat. No. 1,521,797, it is noted that this cue utilizes a tip of a resilient material formed in conventional configuration. A split housing or holder for the tip portion is arranged to be threadedly engaged in a receiving ferrule. The assembly of the cue tip of this patent is relatively cumbersome and, in addition, the tip is still subject to being dislodged during use. No teaching is noted as to specific types of material to be used for the cue tip.

Finally, with respect to prior art US. Pat. No. 1,538,237, it is again noted that the structure of the tip end of the cue stick is relatively complex requiring interior and exterior tapered and castellated sleeves and a cue tip of conventional configuration. The interior sleeve has a reinforcing function and after being force fitted over the tapered end portion of the cue is locked in position by a transverse pin. The exterior sleeve is threaded onto this interior sleeve and the cue tip, which may be of rubber, is held in place by the spring finger action of the castellated end of the exterior sleeve. Mounting of the cue tip is accomplished by extruding the tip upwardly through the exterior sleeve and as in the case of the 910" structure, is subject to being dislodged under impact, particularly as the resilience of the spring fingers becomes reduced under repeated flexures.

SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT INVENTION The present invention provides. an improved billiard cue comprising an elongated cue base portion having a doweled portion at one end thereof defining an annular shoulder and an openended ferrule disposed over the doweled portion and seated against the annular shoulder, the end of the ferrule opposite the annular shoulder being reduced relative to the interior dimension of the ferrule to define a tip receiving aperture having an interior and exterior shoulder. A tip portion fabricated from a synthetic elastomeric material is lockingly engaged in the tip receiving aperture, the tip portion having a neck with head and base flanges attached at opposite ends of the neck. The tip engages the ferrule such that the neck passes through the receiving aperture and the surfaces of the head and base flanges on opposite sides of the neck are seated against and in facewise engagement with the exterior and interior shoulders of the tip aperture, respectively, and the side of the tip base flange opposite the neck is seated against and in facewise engagement with the doweled portion of the cue base.

In another aspect the invention provides an improvement in a billiard cue having a cue stick portion with a forwardly extending doweled portion at the tip end thereof which comprises a neoprene cue tip having a rounded tip end and a flat base end and a ferrule disposed over and secured to the doweled portion. The tip is lockingly engaged in the ferrule such that the base end of the tip is seated against the end of the doweled portion and the rounded end of the tip extends exteriorly of the ferrule to define the tip end of the cue.

In comparison with billiard cues of the prior art, the present invention provides a cue having a tip with an extremely high coefficient of friction and one in which the mechanical structure of the cue tip end is of extremely simple configuration. The tip portion is easily removed and replaced on the end of the cue by axial movement thereof relative to the ferrule without the necessity for gluing same to the cue stick or ferrule. In addition, by provision of a spool or bobbinlike configuration for the cue tip, the flanges at each end of the neck section (the cylinder or shaft of the spool) rest on and engage in a facewise manner the shoulders created by the reduced diameter portion. of the ferrule. The shaft portion of the spool extending between the flanges has an outer diameter approximately equal to the inner diameter of the reduced portion for coaxial and nesting engagement with the tip receiving aperture at the end of the ferrule.

With the cue tip of the present invention, english can be applied to a cue ball in such an efficient manner that maximum control of the cue ball is achieved. Due to the specific properties of the preferred elastomeric material used in the cue tip, namely, neoprene, a higher energy transfer from cue stick to cue ball is obtained allowing greater momentum to be imparted to the cue ball with given cue stick force. Energy transfer is also maximized due to the manner in which the ferrule holds the bottom of the tip securely against the end of DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The foregoing and other advantages will be better understood by reference to the following figures in which: a 1

FIG. 1 is an exploded view of a billiard cue according to the present invention showing a cue stick, ferrule and cue tip;

FIGS. 2A and 2B are side elevational and front views, respectively, of the tip portion; 7

FIGS. 3A and 3B are side elevational and front views, respectively, of the ferrule; and

FIGS. 4A-D are sectional views of the cue stick, ferrule and tip illustrating several alternative ways in which the combination of elements are assembled.

DESCRIPTION OF A SPECIFIC EMBODIMENT A billiard cue 10, according to the present invention, is illustrated in FIG. 1. The cue comprises a cue base portion 12 having a doweled end portion 14, a ferrule 16 and a tip portion 18 of a synthetic elastomeric material. As described in more detail in connection with other figures of the drawing, the tip 18 and ferrule 16 have a specific configuration such that when assembled the tip is locked against and abuts a flat surface 20 at the end of doweled end portion 14. Referring specifically to portion 12, it comprises a shaft having a narrowing taper moving from its base 24 to doweled end portion 14. End portion 14 comprises an annular shoulder 26 extending around the circumference of the cue from which a cylindrical shaft or dowel 28 extends. In a preferred embodiment, shaft 28 is machined into the material, normally wood, from which the cue stick 12 is fabricated to provide an integral, continuous structure.

The specific configuration of tip 18 is illustrated in FIGS. 2A and 2B. As shown therein, the tip comprises a head portion or section 30, a neck portion or section 32, and a base portion or section 34. Each of the three portions of the tip are circular in outline and are coaxially arranged such that tip resembles three stacked discs or a spool or bobbin having end flanges 30, 34 of different diameter connected by a neck or cylinder 32 of yet a smaller diameter. As shown, the diameter of head portion 30 is larger than the diameter of base portion 34 which is in turn larger than the diameter of neck portion 32. In a preferred embodiment, the diameter of the three portions are, respectively, 13mm, 9mm and 7mm. A rounded surface 36 is raised from the side of head portion 30 (tip end of the cue) opposite neck portion 32. Surface 36 is the portion of the cue which is used to strike a billiard ball to be driven by the cue stick. In a preferred embodiment the curved surface 36 is a segment of a circle having a radius of mm with a radius of approximately one-eighth inch around its circumference. The enlarged diameters of the head and base portions, respectively, relative to the neck portion provide circular shoulders 38, 40 which extend radially beyond the circumference of neck portion 32 and are adapted to be seated in facewise engagement with interior and exterior shoulders formed by a necked-down or reduced diameter portion in the tip end of ferrule 16.

An important aspect of the present invention is the provision of a material other than leather or natural rubber from which the tip is formed. In general, a tip, according to the present invention, is fabricated from a synthetic elastomer and in a preferred embodiment is fabricated from neoprene. In terms of materials utilized in compounding the mixture from which the tip is produced it has been found that the basic elastomer should be at least 50 percent neoprene and either carbon black or chromium oxide green utilized as the filler or loading material. Antioxidants such as phenyl-alphanapthylamine and phenyl-beta-napthylamine are utilized to provide added protection from the effects of heat, light, ozone and weathering. The various G-type neoprenes are preferred as tip material because of their low hysteresis characteristics as well as their high tear resistance and resistance to failure from flex cracking. Other synthetic elastomers possessing the characteristics outlined above to a somewhat lesser degree but which has also been found satisfactory are butadiene rubber, particularly Buna S (copolymer of butadiene and styrene) and Buna N (copolymer of butadiene and acrylonitrile), isoprene, nitrile rubber and polyacrylate rubber.

' The ferrule 16 shown in FIGS. 3A and B is essentially a hollow cylinder 42 partially closed at one end. The ferrule is fabricated in such a manner that a circular shelf or ring 44 is integrally formed at the end of the ferrule which is to receive the tip portion 18 of the billiard cue. Shelf or ring 44 extends radially inwardly into the interior of cylinder 42 thereby creating a circular aperture 46 at this end of the ferrule having a diameter reduced with respect to the inner diameter of the hollow cylinder. Aperture 46 thereby defines interior and exterior annular shoulders 48, 50 on the tip end of the ferrule. To mate and interlock with the various portions of tip 18, according to the preferred dimensions set out above, a preferred embodiment of the ferrule has dimensions such that the inner diameter of cylinder 42 is 9mm, the inner diameter of aperture 46 is 7mm and the outside diameter of the ferrule is 13mm. The overall length of the ferrule is 24mm.

To mount tip 18in ferrule 16, base portion 34 of the tip is inserted in aperture 46 and by compression forced or press fitted axially therethrough such that shoulder 40 on the tip base section engages in a facewise manner and seats against interior shoulder 48 and shoulder 38 on the tip head portion seats against and engages in a facewise manner against exterior shoulder 50. By providing that mating dimensions on the ferrule and tip are approximately the same, particularly aperture 46 and neck 32, the tip is held securely in the ferrule. The assembled tip and ferrule combination is then attached to the doweled end portion 14 of cue stick 12. In a preferred embodiment the diameter of dowel 28 is ap proximately 9mm and the ferrule is provided with selftapping threads 54 along its interior peripheral wall. With one thread chased the ferrule slides over the end of portion of shaft 28 and is then turned down onto it to snugly engage the shaft in a coaxial manner with end portion 52 of ferrule 16 seated against and engaging shoulder 26. Suitable materials from which the ferrule is fabricated includes several of the thermoplastic materials presently available, particularly such materials as Cycolac, bakelite, medium impact styrene as well as nylon. In general, the characteristic required of the ferrule is that it possess high impact strength, relatively high tensile and yield strengths and preferably lend itself to use in injection molding for producing the ferrule. Metallic ferrules can also be used in the cue of the present invention.

The remaining features of a billiard cue, according to the present invention, are shown in FIGS. 4A-D which illustrate several ways in which the three basic elements of the cue of the present invention are assembled. In FIG. 4A, illustrating a presently preferred embodiment, the ferrule 16 is provided with self-tapping screw threads 54 along its interior peripheral wall. When a tip 18 has been mounted on the ferrule, in the manner provided by the present invention, the assembled combination is then turned onto the shaft 28 such that the threads cut into and engage the circumference of the wooden doweled end portion 14 securing the ferrule and tip to the cue. In FIG. 4B, the outside diameter of shaft 28 and inner diameter of ferrule 16 are chosen so as to produce a snug fit and the ferrule 16 is then slid over and adhesively secured to shaft 28 after tip 14 has been positioned in tip receiving aperture 46. In FIG. 4C an intermediate insert 56 is provided comprising a base portion 58 from opposite ends of which extend coaxial screw threaded shafts 60, 62. In place of a dowel at the tip end of cue stick 12, a screw threaded receptacle 64 is provided for receiving threaded shaft 62. Ferrule 16 is likewise provided with interior threads 66 which are engaged by threaded shaft 60. In still another variation shown in FIG. 4D, cue stick 12 is provided with a screw threaded receptacle 68 at the tip end thereof. Mounted in receptacle 68 is an insert 70 having a threaded shaft 72 engaging threaded receptacle 68. The diameter of insert is reduced with respect to the outside diameter of stick l2 and is provided with an external slot 74 adapted to receive and engage a pin 76 raised from the interior surface of ferrule 16 such that the assembled ferrule and tip combination can be mounted on insert 70 in a bayonet type fitting. In all of the preceding embodiments the dimensions of the tip, ferrule, inserts, receptacles and shafts are arranged such that the bot tom surface onthe base section of the tip abuts and seats against the member adjacent thereto and a solid, continuous structure is provided from cue base portion to tip without the existence of any gaps.

What is claimed is: 1. An improved billiard cue comprising: an elongated cue base having a dowelled portion at one end thereof defining an annular shoulder; an open ended ferrule disposed over the dowelled portion and seated against the annular shoulder to define a tip receiving cavity, the ferrule being provided with self-tapping threads raised from the inner peripheral wall thereof and the end of the ferrule opposite the annular shoulder being reduced relative to the interior dimension of the ferrule for defining a tip receiving aperture having an interior and an exterior annular shoulder;

a tip portion fabricated from neoprene m locking engagement in the tip receiving aperture, the tip por tion having a neck with head and base flanges attached at opposite ends thereof; and

the neck of the tip portion passing through the receiving aperture and the surfaces of the base and head flanges adjacent the neck being seated against and in face-wise engagement with the interior and the exterior shoulders of the tip aperture, respectively, the opposite side of the base flange being seated against and in face-wise engagement with the end of the dowelled portion of the cue base portion such that the tip portion fills the tip receiving cavity. 

1. An improved billiard cue comprising: an elongated cue base having a dowelled portion at one end thereof defining an annular shoulder; an open ended ferrule disposed over the dowelled portion and seated against the annular shoulder to define a tip receiving cavity, the ferrule being provided with self-tapping threads raised from the inner peripheral wall thereof and the end of the ferrule opposite the annular shoulder being reduced relative to the interior dimension of the ferrule for defining a tip receiving aperture having an interior and an exterior annular shoulder; a tip portion fabricated from neoprene in locking engagement in the tip receiving aperture, the tip portion having a neck with head and base flanges attached at opposite ends thereof; and the neck of the tip portion passing through the receiving aperture and the surfaces of the base and head flanges adjacent the neck being seated against and in face-wise engagement with the interior and the exterior shoulders of the tip aperture, respectively, the opposite side of the base flange being seated against and in face-wise engagement with the end of the dowelled portion of the cue base portion such that the tip portion fills the tip receiving cavity. 